28
APRIL 2021
LIGHTING JOURNAL
‘CE’ THE DIFFERENCE Brexit and the UK’s departure from the European Union mean significant changes to the use and application of the CE mark as well as energy efficiency labelling. But the good news is it’s not happening all at once The ILP has linked up with the International Nighttime Design Initiative to launch a new resource for ILP members, the ‘Write, Light, Night’ booklist designed to raise awareness of books to help lighting professionals think about and reflect on night-time design. A launch event also delved into our By Allan Howard changing perceptions of night, shade and dark By Nic Paton
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ost lighting professionals will be very familiar with the CE mark. The CE mark is the symbol applied to products to indicate their conformity with the essential requirements of the relevant European Union (EU) directives regarding health and safety or environmental protection. The letters ‘CE’ are an abbreviation and come from the French phrase ‘Conformité Européene’, which literally means ‘European Conformity’. The CE mark is mandatory for specific products that are sold in the European Economic Area (EEA). Now, with Brexit completed and the UK out of the European Union, including the customs union, the EEA and single market, this article intends to look at how our changed status in relation to Europe will also mean changes for the lighting industry when it comes to the use and application of the CE mark and, as we shall see, its post-Brexit replacement.
THE CE MARK AND THE ‘CHINA EXPORT’ ‘CE’ MARK
The first point to make clear in all this is, in fact, not about Europe and the EU at all, but confusion with similar marks. This is because it is important not to confuse the EU’s CE mark with what has become termed the ‘China Export’ mark (and so which can potentially also be shortened to ‘CE’). To confuse matters even further, the logos for the two marks are similar in design (see figure 1 opposite). This similarity in design means the two marks can often be confused and thus a product considered safe for use when it should not be. Products with the “China Export” CE mark will not have had the relevant risk assessment, safety evaluation or testing and as such are not certified against the relevant EU CE standards. Bear in mind, too, that products bearing the ‘China Export’ mark can vary from being acceptable to highly dangerous. If we look again more closely at figure 1, it may help to compare the two marks side by
side; as you see the characters are not exactly the same. In particular, it is the spacing between them that distinguishes the difference. The correct EU CE mark also has the ‘E’ starting on the circle profile drawn out by the ‘C’ character. Nevertheless, it pays to be vigilant!
THE POST-BREXIT UKCA MARK
The UKCA mark (UK Conformity Assessed) is the replacement for CE marking in Great Britain (in other words, England, Scotland and Wales) post Brexit. It serves the same purpose as the CE mark, but just recognising the fact that Great Britain is no longer a member of the European Union. The regulations and directives that created the legal structure for the CE marking have been adopted into UK law and updated to change the terminology and to bring them within the control of the UK government. The UKCA is therefore applicable wherever the CE mark was previously required.
